North Korea detains US citizen for illegal entry

[JURIST] The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) [official website] confirmed Tuesday that police have detained a US citizen for illegally entering North Korea. The KCNA did not disclose the identity of the individual, but it is suspected to be [US DOS release] US-Korean rights activist Robert Park. A spokesperson for Pax Koreana, a rights group associated with Park, said that he entered North Korea [Yonhap report] to protests its human rights record and to deliver a letter to leader Kim Jong Il [JURIST news archive]. The KCNA said that his entry is being investigated, but did not say how long he will be held or what charges he will face.

In August, Kim pardoned [JURIST report] US journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee [BBC profile], who had been arrested [JURIST report] in March for allegedly crossing into the country. Before the pardon, the two had been sentenced [JURIST report] to 12 years in prison. Some US commentators have suggested that the journalists were being used as pawns [JURIST comment] in policy disputes between the US and North Korea. North Korea has long faced international criticism for its human rights record, but has defended its policies [JURIST reports] before the UN.

About Paper Chase

Paper Chase is JURIST's real-time legal news service, powered by a team of 30 law student reporters and editors led by law professor Bernard Hibbitts at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. As an educational service, Paper Chase is dedicated to presenting important legal news and materials rapidly, objectively and intelligibly in an accessible format.